Council has voted to start the search for a contractor to build the west leg of the Valley Line LRT, but two councillors are still against the project.
Ward 9 Councillor Tim Cartmell thinks the 14-kilometre line between downtown and Lewis Estates will make traffic worse due to lane reductions on Stony Plain Road and 104 Avenue.
“I don’t think the benefits this slow-moving LRT will provide are worth all of the other disruptions that will result,” Cartmell said.
“In my opinion, what we are building to the west end is not much different than the bus service that already runs along that route.”
Ward 11 Councillor Mike Nickel, on the other hand, is uncertain about LRTs altogether—especially after the problem-plagued Metro Line.
“I think LRT has become this religious dogma of a certain contingent on the city council and I think that it’s become irrational. Facts don’t matter here anymore.”
The rest of council is on board with the LRT extension, and Mayor Don Iveson is not concerned about Cartmell’s congestion complaints.
“No matter how bad traffic gets, and it will get worse in the coming years, you’ll always be able to get from the far west end to downtown in a little under half an hour.”
The search for a contractor will cost $30 million. The city has already spent $179 million on the line's preliminary design and land acquisition. The province has put forward just over $1 billion, and the city is now waiting for funding from the federal government.
Construction could start as early as next year.
With files from CTV Edmonton’s Jeremy Thompson
